Unwanted Mate Of The Lycan Kings

~Zirah~

The castle is made of aged brick and weathered stone, with stained-glass doors and windows. It's a simple structure, and not terribly large, with only three stories, yet it stands out from the rest of the city with its simple elegance.

As the car stopped and I moved to climb out, Lyon grabbed my hand. "If you want me to take you back I understand. I won't be offended,” he tells me.

"Why are you being strange, what are you so embarrassed about? This place is amazing from what I've seen," I tell him. He chewed his lip nervously and glanced out at the castle then nodded. I climbed out and immediately I was met with silence, vastly different from home where guards stood on every corner. Yet what comes with silence is nature. The crickets, the birds and the wind makes for a peaceful and soothing sound.

"Thank you,” Lyon told the driver who nodded before he pulled out. Moving toward Lyon I went to grab my bag when he pulled it away. "I've got it, you go ahead. The place is unlocked," he tells me and my brows pinch. Shadow, however, bounds around excitedly before he grabbed my skirt in his muzzle and pulled me along. He led me to the huge glass doors where he pressed his nose against the double doors and pushed them inward, letting them open.

The place is huge, it has tall ceilings with a balcony, a grand staircase and the flooring is a marble tile. There was little sound but that of the outside, when I step inside all sound is sucked into the vacuum seal of the doors. Strips of royal blue and gold adorn the hall walls, shimmering in the light. I glanced at Lyon behind me, and he nodded for me to keep going down the hall. The air was faintly scented with a fresh scent. The smell of wood, clean and unused.

The first room I passed had wooden flooring, the walls pristine and bare. The second held a grand piano, the ivory surface gleaming, but other than that it was empty too.

The third room is the kitchen and dining room, which is the only room that had any personal touch to it. I couldn't stop myself as I opened the fridge, looking in at the stack of single-portion meals inside and bare essentials like milk and butter.

The fourth room was the bedroom, it too had no furniture, but the mix of warm and cool colors on the walls provided a cozy atmosphere. The room is bathed in soft, natural light, coming in from the balcony doors.

Coming to a set of doors I pushed them open to reveal another foyer of sorts that is round, stairs lead up, but that is not all I found. It was bare, almost austere in its simplicity. I glanced at Lyon, confusion seeped into my expression.

"Follow the stairs to the top,” Lyon told me and I did, as I followed Shadow who seemed excited to be home. However, once at the top I stepped into one giant room. The room was completely empty of furniture except the bed that sat in the center. The bed took up most of the space in the room and it was covered in soft, clean linens. Despite there being hardly anything here, it was far from cold and impersonal, there were plants everywhere, like he had brought the outside in. There were no paintings on the walls or anything else to distinguish it from a museum. It has a vaulted ceiling and a panoramic view of the city, but has room for a minimalist.

"I give everything to my kingdom,” he confessed, his voice echoed in the large, empty hall. "I don't need much. That's why my father despises how I run my kingdom. Business is flourishing for the city, but not for the kingdom itself."

My heart clenched at his words, a newfound respect for him welling up within me. Here's a king who puts his people above himself, an act of selflessness I didn't see coming. It was a revelation, one that shone a new light on Lyon, and his path in this complicated game we were all a part of. Turning back to the room I wander around looking at the plants, of warm and cool colors on the walls providing a cozy ambiance. The room is bathed in soft, natural light, coming in from the balcony doors.

Lyon set my suitcase down and I moved toward the balcony when I felt him come up behind me, suddenly close, his breath warm on my neck. “I know it's not much,” he murmured. "I'm sorry I can't provide more for you."

I turned around to face him, and noticed how his eyes were alight with a sincere expression. "Lyon," I placed a hand on his arm. "It's perfect,” I assured him with a soft smile. "Besides, I'm here to learn who you are, not to learn about what you have or don't have.”

He looked surprised.

Feeling content in the moment, I leant into him and embraced him fully. He responded by wrapping his arms around me and pulling me even closer, his lips found my hair. Shadow whines softly at our feet before he padded off to join his brothers on the bed where they'd made themselves at home. Lyon took my hand and led me out onto the balcony, where we could look out across his kingdom from above. The view was breathtaking. As far as the eye could see there were forests and lakes, farms and shops all bustling with life.

"I may not have much to offer you materially,” Lyon started, turning toward me with a small smile on his face. "But I can offer you a great view," he chuckled.

I stared at the bare castle, and then back at him, my words fell into the silence between us, "Lyon, what you've built here, this is more than any luxury I could ever want," I told him. “So, do I get a tour of the city?” I asked, and he smiled.